


Moving On

by Hughville



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 02:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9577298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hughville/pseuds/Hughville
Summary: After House's patient dies in the S6 episode, Help Me, Foreman and then Wilson go to House's apartment to make sure their friend is okay.  Wilson suggests an alternative solution to the use of Vicodin to ease the pain.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to cuddyclothes for her very helpful suggestions.

The hospital lobby is dim and shadows crowd the corners. Outside, the sounds of sirens can be heard as more ambulances arrive with victims from the crane collapse in Trenton. Foreman watches House limp toward the main desk and lean heavily against it. He’s never seen House like this; beaten and defeated. He approaches his boss cautiously and tells him again that there was nothing he could do to save the patient with the fat embolism from the amputation.  
House turns on him and Foreman jerks back slightly at the sight of raw pain and fury twisting House’s face.  
“That’s the point!” he roars, the words echoing in the empty space. “I did everything right! She died anyway! Why the hell do you think that would make me feel any better?!”  
He straightens up and Foreman notices blood from a gash in his neck is soaking into his t-shirt.  
“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” he says. “You’re bleeding.”  
Suddenly, House straightens and looms over him. Foreman swallows but holds his ground.  
“I’m going to give you a task as an employee,” House says with soft menace. “Get out of my way.”  
Foreman moves to one side and watches House limp out of the hospital. Once he’s out of sight, Foreman heads for the ER. He arrives to find chaos. Suddenly he longs for Cameron. She ran the ER like a well-oiled machine and she also knew how to deal with House. Only one other person does a better job and Foreman fights his way through the throngs of injured people, nurses, orderlies and doctors. Finally, he finds Wilson setting a man’s broken leg.  
“Need you,” Foreman tells him.  
“I’m kind of busy right now,” Wilson tells him without looking up.  
“It’s House.”  
Wilson blows out a sigh. “Still busy.”  
Foreman grabs his arm forcing him to look up. Leaning in, he whispers in Wilson's ear. All the color drains from Wilson’s face as Foreman tells him what happened. Before he can respond, Cuddy stomps up to them. She points a finger at Wilson.  
“You have to do something about House,” she growls. “He’s acting like a petulant child. He showed up at the crash site.” She looks around. “Where’s his patient? Where is he?”  
“She’s dead and he’s gone,” Foreman tells her with disdain. He shakes his head and walks away.  
He tears off his surgical gown and tosses it on the floor before leaving through the ER bay. Digging into his pocket, he pulls out his keys and begins to run for his car. He’s known House long enough to predict what he’ll do. There’s no way he’s going to let House take Vicodin again.  
***  
Wilson jerks off his gloves and tosses them on the floor. It’s out of character for him but he doesn’t care. He pushes past Cuddy who is talking to one of the nurses. Once in his car, he feels regret build up in him. He slams his hand against the steering wheel as he brakes for a red light. He can’t wait. He must get to House to stop him from backsliding. Glancing both ways, he puts his foot on the gas and roars through the intersection. Screw the red light. He’ll pay the ticket if a traffic camera caught him.  
***  
The door to House’s apartment building is open as is his front door. Foreman enters and looks around. The apartment is dark except for the light coming from the bathroom. House sits slumped on the floor, his back against the tub staring at a pill vial in his hand. A flash of pure shock passes over Foreman’s face at the sight of the bathroom. Shards of glass litter the floor. The medicine cabinet is in the tub. There is a hole in the wall above the sink and the light fixture sways over it. He knows House has a temper but he never saw the evidence of it until now. Shaking his head, he stops in the doorway.  
“You gonna throw away a year of being drug free?” he asks softly.  
“Get out,” House responds wearily. “Or you’re fired.”  
Foreman walks into the bathroom the glass from the mirror crunching under his shoes and reaches down to take the pill bottle from House. “Technically, Cuddy is the only one who can fire me.” He looks around. “You got more stashed any place else?”  
House shakes his head. “That’s it,” he says as he shifts slightly and tucks his hand behind his back. Foreman walks around him and pulls his arm out. He uncurls House’s fingers from the other bottle. Foreman puts them in his pants pocket and leans against the wall. House rests his arms on his knees and hangs his head.  
“You’ve lost patients before,” Foreman comments. “Why is that one so different?”  
“I waited too long. Spent too much time arguing with Cuddy to save the leg. Wanted her to have the choice I didn’t.”  
“You got a first aid kit around here?” Foreman asks. “Your neck is cut pretty badly.” He doesn’t feel comfortable with House’s vulnerability. He never has.  
“House?”  
Foreman turns to see Wilson at the end of the hallway. Relief washes over him.  
“Cavalry’s here,” he tells House and walks down the hall to meet Wilson. “I got his Vicodin,” he says before leaving.  
***  
Wilson enters the bathroom and sits down next to House. “You’re an idiot.”  
House shakes his head. “Always can count on you for a rousing pep talk.”  
“You do not love Cuddy,” Wilson tells him. “And she does not love you. You two are toxic. You’ll blow up any relationship with her and end up doing something stupid like driving your car through her house. I’m sorry your patient died but as you like to remind me, people die. They also lie. You’re lying to yourself. You don’t want Cuddy. If you really wanted her, you’d be with her by now. You don’t want Cuddy any more than I want Sam.”  
“You kicked me out so you two can live in peace together,” House reminds him rubbing his hands together.  
Guilt crawls over Wilson. He did and he shouldn’t have done it. House wasn’t ready to live on his own and Wilson knows this.  
“I did,” he says softly. “And I’m sorry.”  
House sighs. The tension in the room rises and Wilson shifts until his hip is resting against House’s. He feels House relax slightly.  
Wilson turns to look at him. “What’s the only relationship you haven’t destroyed?” he asks suddenly.  
House lifts his head and slowly turns to look at him. “The one with you.”  
Wilson looks at him, his eyes boring into House’s. “Exactly. We joke about dating each other; joke about having sex. But what if we stopped joking about it and actually did it?”  
“Date or have sex?”  
Wilson shrugs. “Both. We have no secrets, House. We already know all the ugly things about each other. We also know all the good things. Would it really be so unthinkable to take our relationship to the next level? Because I think we could make it work.”  
“I can’t change,” House tells him.  
“I’m not asking you to change. I’m asking you to come home and move on with me.”  
“What about the soulless harpy?”  
“Are you referring to Cuddy or Sam?” Wilson asks with a ghost of a smile.  
“Sam.”  
“She can leave this time,” Wilson tells him. He swallows and takes a deep breath. “You in?”  
House nods. “At least I’ll get to use the tub now.”  
Wilson laughs. “You did anyway. Let’s go home. You stink and your neck is bleeding.”  
“Careful with the sexy talk. I might swoon,” House warns him lightly as they leave the bathroom. “Oh, and no kissing my scar.”  
“Jeez,” Wilson scoffs. “I’m not a girl.”  
“You will be in this relationship.”  
Wilson shrugs. “We’ll see about that.”


End file.
